Music Ensemble
Guru Kalashri Smt. Asha Gopal
Nattuvangam
Kalashri Asha Gopal is the Founder/Director of the Arathi School of Dance. The school was founded in the year 1981, and offers classes in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, and has students in Las Vegas, Nevada. Asha Gopal teaches the Pandanallur style of Bharata Natya, learned under eminent teachers, Guru Muthiah Pillai, Guru Kittappa Pillai, and Professor U.S. Krishna Rao. Asha Gopal is a distinguished dancer and teacher. She has the distinction of turning out the most number of arangetram graduates, earning her a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. She has received noteworthy awards: ‘Singar Mani’ title from Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai (1969), NRI Excellence award in London, England (1993), Karnataka Kalashri award from Sangeet Natak Academy (1999), and Citizen of the Year award from the Asian American Association of Arizona (2000), among others.
Sri. Suchethan Rangaswamy
Vocalist
Dr. Suchethan Rangaswamy was born on 18th June 1979 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He began learning Carnatic Vocal music at the age of four. His initial training was under his mother Smt. Suma Rangaswamy and later under various gurus Like Vid. Dr. Sarvamangala Shankar, Vid. Smt. M.S. Vidya and Karnataka Kalashree Vid. P. Ramaa for a period of almost eight years. His skills were further sharpened under Padmabhushana Vid. Dr. R.K. Srikantan and Kalaimamani Vid. P. Unnikrishnan. Constant training under them led to innovations and blending of tradition and modernity in Suchethan’s singing as he continues to learn from Vid. Unnikrishnan.
Dr. Suchethan Rangaswamy is also trained to play the Veena by Vid. Smt. T. Sharada and Ganakalabhushana Vid. Smt. Dr. Suma Sudhindra.
Dr. Suchethan is an accomplished anchor, RJ and TV actor. He has acted in many teleserials and anchored many prestigious stage shows. He is known for his natural acting skills in teleserials like Mukta mukta, Chitralekha, Putta gowri maduve, Anuraagasangama and Nagini.
He has worked in the production of many events here and abroad. Television awards, Bangalore International arts festival, Tarangini festival, Marathons for social cause, Short film awards to name a few.
Sri. Harsha Samaga is the son of Smt. and Sri. M L Samaga from Malpe, Udupi district.
Born to a family of artists, he received initial training in Mridangam from Late P. Vasudeva Rao and continued advanced training with Late Shri. k Harishchandran from Mangalore.
He has also received guidance from Sri. Anoor Anantha Krishna Sharma from Bangalore and has accompanied acclaimed Bharatanatyam dancers and musicians on the Mridangam for dance and music concerts.
He is A graded artist of AIR and has traveled to Europe, Singapore, and Mexico for concerts.
He is a CA by profession and currently working in Deloitte Bangalore
Sri. Harsha Samaga
Mridangam
Sri. Raj Kamal
Flute
Vidwan Rajkamal N is a disciple of Sri S A Shashidhar, Smt Neela Ramgopal, and Dr. N Ramani,
He has been performing as a solo artist from the past 30 years and has performed extensively in India, USA, UK, Canada, Germany, Poland, Italy, Luxembourg, Israel, France, South America, Singapore etc...in Major festivals and Organisations. He has also performed with the Polish Symphony Orchestra ' Symphonia Baltica ' in Slupsk, Poland, at prestigious world music Festival in Israel along with the Frame Drum maestro Zohar Fresco.
He performed at numerous Classical, Jughalbandhi, Fusion and Jazz concerts along with many top Musicians of the world.
He is a regular performer for Indian Radio and Television and composed music for many CD's, albums and Dance ballets.
He has received "Sharabha Shastri " award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai, " Ananya Puraskar " from the Ananya Cultural Academy, " Youth Icon " from the Lions Club International.
Sri. Prasanna Kumar
Rhythm Pads
Vidwan Prasanna Kumar is born with the gift of both profound rhythm and melody of sound. Exceptional dexterity, a firm grasp of Laya, a resonant voice and a deep understanding of Music and Dance enabled him to take to nattuvangam as a fish to water. A student of Vidwan S. V. Giridhar and Vidwan Anoor
Anantha Krishna Sharma for percussion and ever seeking excellence, he also trained under the illustrious Vidushi Kamala Rani of Kalakshetra, Chennai and embellished his already fluent and resonant style of Nattuvangam. His multi-face prowess over a wide range of percussion instruments has the only enriched his rendering, giving it a distinctive edge.
Invitations for lecture demonstrations and workshops at landmark conferences and seminars be rate testimony to Prasanna's preeminence in a field for long the preserve of the traditional nattuvanars who
were handed down this art as a ready-made profession. What exemplifies Prasanna's nattuvangam is a unique blend of academics and practice. One born of the personalise arch into its nuances, the other honed
by innumerable performances with the biggest name s the field has known, in India and abroad.
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